Open AccessPolyhydroxyalkanoate inclusion‐body growth and proliferation in Bacillus megaterium
Author(s) -
McCool Gabriel J.,
Fernandez Tania,
Li Ning,
Can Maura C.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1996.tb08132.x
Subject(s) - bacillus megaterium , doubling time , growth rate , polyhydroxyalkanoates , exponential growth , stationary phase , biology , bacterial growth , cell growth , biomass (ecology) , phase (matter) , strain (injury) , bacillales , biophysics , biochemistry , chemistry , bacteria , cell , chromatography , bacillus subtilis , anatomy , genetics , ecology , physics , geometry , mathematics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) accumulation and the morphology of PHA inclusion bodies were examined in Bacillus megaterium , strain 11561. Our results show a pattern of PHA degradation and synthesis, and of inclusion body growth and proliferation not previously reported. Degradation of PHA in the lag phase was followed by synthesis of PHA at an accelerating rate during exponential growth. PHA accumulation reached a maximum rate at late exponential/early stationary phase and the rate declined to a lower steady state in the stationary phase. During exponential and early stationary phase growth, PHA had a faster doubling rate than that of total cell biomass (w/w). Results of the morphology studies suggest that PHA inclusion bodies proliferated by budding and reached maximum size by early stationary phase growth. This pattern was observed in minimal and in rich media.